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Nuts have long been enjoyed as a
snack as well as being an important ingredient or garnish in many dishes, from
breakfast cereals and breads to salads, main dishes, vegetable and grain
accompaniments and desserts.
Some nuts may be bought complete
with their brown papery skins. The skin often has a bitter taste and so should
be removed before the nuts are used. The flavor of all nuts can be enhanced
further by toasting; this will make them appealingly crisp too.
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Skinning almonds & pistachios.
Blanch nuts in hot water for two minutes. Drain the nuts and cool
slightly, then squeeze or rub each nuts with your fingers to remove the
skins. |
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Skinning hazelnuts and brazils.
Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 3500F / 1800C
/ Gas 4 oven for 10 - 15 minutes to dry the skins. Wrap the nuts in a
rough tea towel and rub to remove the skin. Pick off any bits of skin
still sticking to the nuts. |
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Toasting or grilling nuts.
Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 3500F / 1800C
/ Gas 4 oven or under a moderate grill, until golden brown and smelling nutty.
Stir the nuts occasionally |
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To fry-toast nuts. Put nuts
in an ungreased frying pan. Toast over moderate heat until golden brown,
stirring constantly and watching carefully because the nuts scorch easily. |
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Grinding nuts. Using a nut
mill or a clean coffee grinder, grind a small batch of nuts at a time so that
you can be sure of getting an even texture. As soon as the nuts have a fine
texture, stop grinding. If over ground, it will turn into a paste like mixture. |
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Grinding with a food processor.
It may be slightly difficult to get an even texture, thus there is more risk of
over grinding the nuts. To prevent this, grind the nuts with some of the
sugar or flour called for in the recipe. |
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